Chapter 236: Ensuring Secrecy The Old Way (1/2)
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”Please remember everyone, beware of the Inquisitor Squad,” said Marcus. It was the end of another night of DA sessions with everyone ready to return to their dorms. ”Especially, Gryffindors.. . The Inquisitor Squad's detention record is mostly made up of your house — if you encounter one, please steer clear, and if you do get a session with Umbridge, please remember to report it to one of the representatives.”
The humiliation during the Minister's visit at the hands of Dumbledore wasn't met with silence but with an Education Decree wave in which a decree constituted the creation of the Inquisitor Squad, responsible for maintaining discipline and order in Hogwarts. Justified by the spike of detention rate in the school, which in truth was because of Umbridge handing out detentions like hotcakes to anyone she could find. She had created the problem and now had brought in a solution to counter it — but in reality, all it was a ruse to increase Umbridge's authority in Hogwarts.
”To the Slytherins, please keep us informed if you hear anything the Inquisitor Squad might be planning,” Marcus said, stressing on the topic. ”And to Eddie, please avoid picking fights with the Inquisitor Squad. It's the one-way ticket to getting banned from Quidditch, and I'm not sure you'd be excited about that.”
”I never pick fights!” came the reply, dissatisfied and defiant. ”They are the ones who are being bloody cretins.”
”That's not my problem. Whatever you do, don't end up in detention,” Marcus said and thought if there was something else left to address. ”That's it from my side. If there's nothing else, we can close this session and end for the night.”
”I actually have something to say.” Eyes turned to Quinn, who stood in the inner part of the Room of Requirements, away from the door. ”I would like a few people to stay behind. I have something to converse with them.” Quinn glimpsed around the confused DA crowd all looking at. ”Marietta Edgecombe, Luca Caruso, Irfan Mushtaq, and Graham Romsey, please stay behind while everyone else leaves. I would appreciate the privacy,” he smiled towards everyone. ”That would be all. I wish everyone else a good night.”
Suddenly, all eyes moved to the four people asked to stay behind. The same question sprouted in everyone's minds — What did Quinn want with the four?
Ivy Potter, the elected leader of DA, stepped forward and posed the question in everyone's mind. ”What is this about?” she asked.
Quinn turned to the girl who had stepped out from the crowd. ”I just have something to say to these four.”
”Is this personal or about DA?”
”It is.”
”Then I'd like to be kept in the loop. I'd be staying behind.”
Quinn noticed the way she had worded her sentence. ”That's fine with me. You can stay behind,” he said.
”What about the other representatives? Do they need to be here?”
”Their presence isn't needed. You can communicate the happenings to them later.” Quinn subtly glanced at Daphne, the Slytherin representative, and blinked his eyes — I'll tell you later, they said. He didn't miss the smile in her eyes, something that one could only notice after spending much time with Daphne Greengrass.
Marietta Edgecombe, sixth-year Ravenclaw, one of the four asked to stay behind, raised her voice. She had a pinched expression and arms folded across her chest. ”Can we do whatever this is sometime later? It's getting late, and I have assignments to get through. How about we take this up the next time we assemble? It'd be more convenient for everyone. I'm sure everyone feels this way,” she turned around to look at the other three, seeking support.
”A little time spent talking won't hurt your assignments, Edgecombe. And I'm sure someone as smart as you have her assignments ready to submit before time,” said Quinn, smiling politely, not genuinely.
Marietta watched Quinn furtively as he picked a lint of his robes. He wasn't interested in whatever she had to say. She glanced at the other three, but they turned their eyes from hers.
Cowards! she thought.
Soon after, the DA population left, leaving only six people in the vast and now exceedingly empty Room of Requirements. The atmosphere in the room was ambiguous — Marietta Edgecombe was tapping her foot against the floor, her jaw clenched; Luca Caruso, Irfan Mushtaq, and Graham Romsey were tingling their fingers and toes; Ivy has a pensive expression, repeatedly glancing towards Quinn, it wasn't long she had seen him sitting together with Daphne.
”Now,” Quinn spoke with his hands behind his back, ”the reason I have asked you four here is to address an issue that has become prominent due to recent events involving the Educational Decrees, the Inquisitor Squad, and the overall Dolores Umbridge situation with her gaining more power in Hogwarts.”
Quinn noted the slight shuffle in the four people as they shifted their weight at his words.
”One of the important principles or to say rules of DA is that,” he made a short pause, ”we don't exist; we are as real as the points given to Gryffindor by Snape,” there was no response from anyone — it had been repeated so many times that everyone was way past being sick of it. ”The reason why this rule was introduced is to ensure everyone's safety and freedom from Umbridge's pesky little thumb. Our efforts have been going splendidly well, with not a peep of DA to be heard from the mouth of an outsider.
Keeping our anonymity has been of utmost importance, especially know when Umbridge is trying to find something — anything — wrong in Hogwarts so that she could usurp control.. . I'm sure none of us desires that. Which is the reason it's high time that we strengthen our efforts to keep operating.”
Ivy frowned in confusion. They already had this discussion among the DA representatives, deployed new measures, and made sure to freshen the gravity of the situation in everyone's mind.
”Why are you saying this right now?” she asked, glancing at the four. A thought flashed in her mind. She turned to face the four, her eyes squinted as her tone became confrontational. ”Did these four do something.. . did they spoke about DA to someone outside?”
”No! I didn't say anything!” said Graham Romsey, stepping forward in a hurry.
”Neither did I,” said Luca Caruso; he was a bit calmer, though his pace gave his nervousness away.
Irfan Mushtaq shook his head and shrugged. ”Me neither.”
All Marietta did was narrow her at Quinn.
”I am well aware that none of you have said anything about DA to anyone,” said Quinn.
Ivy was stumped. If that wasn't the case, why did he ask these people to stay behind? She tilted her head in confusion. ”Then why are we here?” she asked with furrowed brows.
”Caruso, Romsey, Mushtaq, and Edgecombe,” said Quinn, ”all have parents who work in the Ministry.” His words set a tension in the mentioned four. ”Normally, that won't be the problem,” he turned to Ivy, ”your father works in the Ministry as well, but unlike you,” he pointed at the four, ”their parents work in a position below Umbridge's — positions over which Umbridge have a lot of power, where she can exert a significant amount of pressure.”
A deafening silence fell over the room; the matter was out in the open, and silence that presided over spoke volumes. The four with parents were at some point had become aware of the risk they were putting their parents in by joining a group like DA.
”I fear that because of that reason, you might come under pressure to secure your parent's job at the Ministry by maybe.. . selling out DA to Umbridge,” said Quinn. He raised his hand to stop the incoming rebuttals. ”I'm not saying that you'll be doing so. There's no sense in accusing of something that hasn't happened yet. But that doesn't rule out the event happening. So, right now, I would like to present to all of you a proposition.”
”Quinn, wait,” said Ivy, ”maybe we should talk about this first —”
”What proposition?” said Marietta Edgecombe, cutting off Ivy.
”I will allow all four of you to exit DA right here, right now,” said Quinn immediately.
”Quinn!” Ivy exclaimed. This was spiralling out of control. Decisions like this were to be made with the agreement of the group.
Quinn continued to stare at the four. ”There's a condition,” he said. He couldn't just let them go without keeping leverage on his side for insurance. ”Your names will remain on the original signing document. It will be proof of your involvement in DA, effectively tying you up with DA. You will not be allowed to mention anything about DA. If you decide to give us away, we will drag you down with us. Plus, you won't like what is to happen if you decide to betray the group.”
Ivy withheld a gasp at Quinn's words. The knowledge about the original signing document being a jinxed parchment was a secret only known to her and Hermione — it was the last fail-safe to identify the traitor, the sneak.
”So, how about it? The conditions of the deal are clear. Any takers?”